Sunday, February 24, 2013

Just to let you guys know – I’ve got a brand new hangout on the net. No, it’s not Fatty Wangs. It’s a new up and coming foodie app called Chowzter and its aim is to provide the punter with a regularly updated list of the best dishes in the area. Chains and chandeliers are ruled out but that leaves a lot of good food in between. Chowzter is just taking its first steps but already regions such as North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa are represented. Europe is possibly under-represented at the moment but still cities from Brighton to Seville are covered and so too is Cork (where I come into the picture).Chowzter is committed to finding the tastiest food item on earth each year. “We seek out and support the local independent food purveyor and locally sourced ingredients.” Read the short mission statement here. While we are waiting for the full lift-off, Chowzter has been having some fun with its bloggers. Latest team effort has been an attempt to find the best sandwich in the world. There have been nominations from all over: Train Wreck Po Boy from Philly, the Hire Katsu Sando from Tokyo, the Vietnamese Sandwich from Saigon, the Choripán from Argentina, theKoKoreç from Istanbul. And then that Donkey sandwich from Beijing!I’ll let Lillian Chou explain:“I'm in Palawan now but back in Beijing tomorrow and will say the Shanxi ‘roujiamo’ which is available all over Beijing as a locally made bread that is stuffed with slow braised fatty pork shoulder that’s hand chopped while cooking liquid is slowly ladled onto the meat to keep it moist, then fresh green pepper (sweet) and cilantro is mixed in and it goes into the bun. In some restos, you can order extra fatty or regular lean.Another option which is simply stunning is the Donkey sandwich. Yes, sliced salted jackass is piled on a crisp handmade bun that's been split open and piled with cilantro. The result is something like a corned beef because it's either room temp or slightly warm and the biggest surprise that's delish. The best shop is Fatty Wang's.”So there you go! Might not be able to get you a Donkey Sandwich here, though the way things are going, better never say never. But we’ll do our best to bring you the best dishes locally.